Evan gershkovich gay
Free Evan: Russia sentences US journalist to prison. But he's a hostage, not a criminal.
With Washington engulfed in political drama, let’s not forget a glaring injustice 5, miles away. That’s where an American reporter was handed a long Russian prison sentence Friday just for doing his job.
After a terse show trial on trumped-up spy charges, Wall Avenue Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was consigned to Russia’s brutal penal system for 16 years. Yet, he was arrested last year not on some clandestine dead drop, but at a steakhouse after a reporting trip far from Moscow.
Even more chilling than Gershkovich’s unjustified sentence is the cautionary message it sends for journalists and journalism around the planet. In the era of instant social media posts, it’s easy to ponder of news as an easy process, without realizing the pain and blood that can come from gathering real news.
Journalists are threatened, beaten and sometimes killed in Russia and around the globe, just for the crime of informing us of the truth.
Reporters and photographers are on the front lines of the information
Three Americans, including journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, and corporate security executive Paul Whelan, landed back on American soil overnight after a landmark prisoner exchange with Russia.
This swap deal involving 24 people, the largest since the post-Soviet era, took place despite heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow over Russia's ongoing opposition with Ukraine.
Emotional Reunion in Maryland
The freed Americans arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland shortly before midnight. They were greeted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and their families.
President Biden celebrated the free as a significant diplomatic victory, stating: "Deals like this one come with tough calls … There's nothing that matters more to me than protecting Americans at residence and abroad."
Taken Captive
Gershkovich, a Wall Highway Journal reporter, was detained in Russia in March on espionage charges that both he and the U.S. government deny.
Whelan, detained since , was also accused of espionage, and Alsu Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe/
The Evan Gershkovich I Know
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We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These deeds are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide precise, unbiased reporting on Russia.
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Who is Evan Gershkovich? What friends say about the Wall Street Journal writer detained in Russia
To the rest of the planet, Evan Gershkovich is a year-old U.S. citizen and Wall Street Journal whistleblower being held in Russia. But to those who know him best, he's just Evan -- a "normal American guy" in addition to his career as a journalist deeply committed to covering Russia, a country he loved reporting from.
"I knew that sweater," Pjotr Sauer, who met him five years ago when both were working at The Moscow Times, said of Gershkovich's attire in photos of his arrest. "I've seen him a million times in that sweater. I joked about the proof that he had that one sweater, so it's just surreal. There are no words to portray how you feel as a person when you see those images."
"It was earth-shattering," said Sam Patterson, who was roommates with Gershkovich in their senior year at Maine's Bowdoin College. "It's something that we had asked Evan about, whether he was ever concerned about something like this